A 12-week-old kitten named Davy will hopefully get a new home for Christmas after being found abandoned last week.

Alexis Larrabee was on her way to St. Peter Catholic Elementary School with her father and a group of peers on Tuesday morning when she and a friend came across a small box in the parking lot that rustled and appeared to contain something living inside it.

“It was taped shut and soaking wet,” explained her mother Sarah, whose husband described it as a cardboard kitty litter box that measured only 12 by 14 inches.

Upon further inspection, with the help of her dad, Larrabee discovered a small grey and white kitten and took the fur ball inside the school so it could be taken to the city pound.

The Cambridge & District Humane Society must wait at least four days before a stray or abandoned animal can be put up for adoption, according to kennel master Krista Morgan, but Davy is now ready for a new owner, she said.

Although Larabee hoped to take him home, her family already has two dogs, two hamsters, a fish and a cat that’s very territorial, her mother stressed.

According to Morgan, Davy’s “super social, playful and loves to purr.”

There are currently 28 cats up for adoption at the Cambridge and District Humane Society. That number is down considerably following an article in the Times less than a month ago, when the shelter was inundated with felines, many of which were taken in by local pet stores to free up space. The humane society even held a Black Friday sale for black cats that people tend to avoid, because of the stigma attached to them, Morgan noted.

“There were seven black cats adopted that day,” she said. “People are afraid of the superstitions (around black cats) and also find different colours more appealing.”

Cats of all kinds are now ready to go to good homes for $175 each. That includes their first set of vaccines, deworming, microchipping and spaying or neutering. If they’re under four months of age and not already spayed or neutered, new owners receive a certificate that they can take to their vet when it’s time.

While the humane society hopes to find animals good homes for the holidays, it cautions against impulse buying at this time of the year.

“A dog is for life, not just for Christmas,” reads a notice on the front desk.

If people do decide to adopt over the next few weeks, it’s best if they have a low-key holiday so the animal can get adjusted to new surroundings, Morgan advises. The humane society is located at 1650 Dunbar Rd. Call 519-623-7722 or www.spca.cambridgeweb.net.